August 22, 2012

End of an Era in Late Night with ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Move

ABC announced today that in January it's moving "Jimmy Kimmel Live" to 11:35pm to go head to head with "The David Letterman Show" on CBS and "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" on NBC.

Anne Sweeney, co-chair of the Disney Media Networks and president of the Disney/ABC Television Group, said:

Given the passionate fan base ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ has built over the past decade and the show’s ratings and creative momentum this season, the time is right to make this move. There is the potential for far greater upside over the long term with this shift, given increased advertiser demand for competitive entertainment programming in the time slot.

Nothing against Jimmy Kimmel, but the move will also banish "Nightline" to the late night nether regions. Not that the show isn't already a shell of its former self when Ted Koppel was the anchor, but it's a bit disheartening to see what was once a bastion of journalistic excellence swapped out for another comedy/chat show.

ABC is throwing "Nightline" a bone by launching a Friday night, primetime edition at 9pm beginning next March, but it remains to be seen if the show will become more than just "20/20"-lite.

Comments

ABC announced today that in January it's moving "Jimmy Kimmel Live" to 11:35pm to go head to head with "The David Letterman Show" on CBS and "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" on NBC.

Anne Sweeney, co-chair of the Disney Media Networks and president of the Disney/ABC Television Group, said:

Given the passionate fan base ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ has built over the past decade and the show’s ratings and creative momentum this season, the time is right to make this move. There is the potential for far greater upside over the long term with this shift, given increased advertiser demand for competitive entertainment programming in the time slot.

Nothing against Jimmy Kimmel, but the move will also banish "Nightline" to the late night nether regions. Not that the show isn't already a shell of its former self when Ted Koppel was the anchor, but it's a bit disheartening to see what was once a bastion of journalistic excellence swapped out for another comedy/chat show.

ABC is throwing "Nightline" a bone by launching a Friday night, primetime edition at 9pm beginning next March, but it remains to be seen if the show will become more than just "20/20"-lite.